The Sun. — London, England, 1864-02-26 00:00:00

IMP ERI.AL PARLIAMENT! 13.0115 E OF LORDS—Last Evening, ' the LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack at five o'cic ck. PRIVATE BUSINESS. Tho following bills were read a second time :—Bromley Railway ; North Kent and Sent Water Vale of Crick hat,vell Railway. PETITIONS. Earl DERBY presented a petition from the inhabitants of Bishopsgate Ward, in the city of London, praying their lordships to protect them from the inroads of nine ➢roposed railways. These railways did not include the North Lon don Railway, which had already taken four acres of ground from the ward. THE SEIZURE OF RAMS IN THE MERSEY. The Earl of DERBY again referred to the question he had put to the noble earl on a former occasion respecting the seizure of the steam rams in the Mersey, the produc tion of which papers he had stated would be injurious to the public service. Since then, the matter had been discussed in another place, and the greater portion of the correspon dence had been promised to be produced. He should like to know whether the noble earl was still of opinion that the production of those papers would be prejudicial to the pub lic service, and if not, he should like to know what had caused the revolution ire his opinion. Earl RUSSELL said the noble earl had somewhat mis represented his reply. The answer he had given was, the law officers of the Crown considered the production of those papers would result in incomplete discussions of the legal point at issue, and thus prejudice the result of the cause;before the courts of law. The reason that had led him to make that observation was that the law officers of the Crown had given it as their opinion that the papers should be produced. He gave that answer when ho was asked to lay the papers on the table of the house. Since the law officers had stated in the other house that there would be no objection to give the majority of the papers asked for, he (Earl Russell) had no objection as far as he was concerned that the papers should be given to Parliament. In accordance with the promise he had given the noble earl on a former occasion, that he would look over the correspondence, he now begged to lay on the table the papers he had selected. A short discussion then ensued, in which the Earl of Derby, Lord Chelmsford, Earl Granville, and the Earl of Carnarvon took place, at the termination of which the sub ject dropped. THE AFFAIRS OF DENMARK. The Earl of MALMESBURY asked that further and more recent information with regard to the state of Den mark should be published. The noble earl said that numer ous statements were daily appearing in the public papers, which were doubtless in many respects unreliable. They were obliged to collect information from garbled statements made in the German and French newspapers and pamphlets, as they were not provided with reliable information. Earl RUSSELL said a great deal of the correspondence asked for by the noble earl had been published that morning. THE CASE OF CAPTAIN WHYTE. The Marquis of CL A.NRICARDE asked whether the arbitrators in Captain Melville Whyte's case, against the Government of Peru, had given, or were likely soon to give, a decision in that matter ? Earl RUSSELL said that one of the senators of Hamburg had the papers before him, with a view of making his report to the senate of Hamburg, to whom the matter had been referred. He would see if he could not take steps to expe dite their decision. Their lordships then adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS—Last Evening, The SPEAKER took the chair at 4 o'clock, PRIVATE BUSINESS. On the motion for the second reading of the Archway and Kentish Town Junction. Road Bill, Mr. COX moved as an amendment that the bill be read a second time that day six months. He said that all the tolls surrounding the neighbourhood had been abolished. The sum realized by the proposed toll bar was only .200 a year, the expenses were .£10.5 a year, which did not include the lighting and repairing of the road, Loth of which were defrayei by the parish of St. Pancras. Lord FERMOY seconded the motion in accordance with the wishes of his constituency, and said that the attempt to procure an extension of the powers of this trust was what was now familiarly known as an attempt to run the blockade. (Laughter.) Sir W. JOLLIFFE opposed the bill. Mr. WATLINGTON hoped that the house would allow this bill to go into committee. Viscount ENFIELD said that although his name was on the back of the bill he had endorsed it without a know. ledge of its contents. He had had an opportunity of perusing them since then, and he could not support the second reading of the bill. (Hear, hear.) Mr. H. LEWIS opposed the bill. Mr. MASSEY considered that under the circumstances the7promoters of the bill would be only throwing good money after bad, and that consequently the motion should be re- jetted. The motion was negatived without a division. PETITIONS, Several petitions were presented for the repeal of the duty on malt, for the abolition of the duty on fire insur ances, &c. TENURE AND IMPROVEMENT OF LAND (IREL AND), On the motion of Mr. DARBY GRIFFITH, several returns in connection with this subject were ordered. E W WRIT. On the motion of Mr. BRAND a writ was ordered to issue for the election of a knight of the shire for Hertford, in tin room of Mr. Puller, deceased. OFFICERS OF THE INDIAN ARMY. In reply to Captain JERVIS, Sir C. WOOD said there wore certain difficulties in re ference to this subject, but it was under consideration. THE SUEZ CANAL. In reply to Mr. ROEBUCK, • Mr. LAYARD said that the correspondence which had taken place with the Pasha of Egypt and other diplomatic agents in reference to this undertaking could not with pro priety be produced when negotiations on the subject were still going on. EDUCATION IN SCOTLAND, In reply to Mr. LESLIE, The LORD-ADVOCATE said that in conformity with the wishes of Scotch members, he made a proposal to her Majesty's Government to issue a commission on this sub ject, but it had not been considered necessary to adopt that formal procedure, as the necessary information could be obtained by other means. The Government had not seen any reason to induce them to alter their opinion, THE ILLUMINATED CLOCK AT THE PALACE OF WESTMINSTER. In reply to Mr. PACKE, Mr. COWPER said that the clock was lighted when the illumination was considered most necessary, but if hon. members desired it, he had no objection that the illumina tion be continued all night. ALLEGED .ARREST OF INHABITANTS OF GRA VENS rEIN. In reply to Mr. D. GRIFFITH, Lord PALMERSTON, who was loudly cheered when he entered the house, said the Government had received no infornrAtion as to the arrest of inhabitants of Gravenstein, THE CASE OF THE TUSCALOOZA. In reply to Mr. PEACOCKE, Lord PALMERSTON said that it was in conformity with the instructions received that the authorities at the Cape of Good Hope had seized this vessel, but on represen tations that had been made to the Government, and on full consideration of the case, it had been determined that there had been no proper ground for the seizure of the vessel. and its release had been ordered. RtiMOURED-131-66ICZisiiy DENMARK OF THE GERMAN PORTS. Sir W. FORSTER, asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the Danish Government had given notice of any intention to blockade any of the Ger man ports ; and also, What notice is required in case such blockade be instituted ? Mr. LAYARD said that the Government had not re ceived any notice of an intentio n on the part of the Danish Government of such blockad e, a nd , if there were any such intention a notice of the same would be duly announced in the Gazette. CLAIMED BY ASSISTANCE OF ENGLAND DENMARK. Mr. M'EVOY a sked the Under Secreta ry o f St ate for Foreign Aff a i rs w h e th er it wa s true that the Danish Go vernment had officially claimed the a cti ve assistance of England on the ground of the London protocol: And whether the Government were aware that a similar application had been addressed to the French Government, with an intimation in each case that if refused the Danish Government would avail themselves of the assistance alleged to have been offered by the Govern ment of the King of Italy ? Mr. LAYARD said that under the treaty there was rlo guarantee of interference given under the protocol. He took that opportunity of stating that, in rddition to Danish papers already in the hands of hon, members, he would be able to lay another instalment to-morrow on the table, and the remaining papers on Monday and Tuesday. (Hear. hear.) He could assure the house that no unnes sary delay had occurred in the production of these docu ments. (Hear, hear.) ONFERENCE ON THE AFFAIRS OF DENMARK Mr. D. GRIFFITH asked the First Lord of tha Trea sury whether it was true that Prussia and Austria have agreed to a conference on the affairs of Denmark; and, if so, whether that engagement involves an immediate sus pension of hostilities between those Powers and Denmark? Lord PALMERSTON said—The great object of her Majesty's Government during the negotiations that have taken place has been to bring about an amicable arrange ment between the German Powers and Denmark. (Hear, hear) We proposed, in the first instance, an armistice, but both parties proposed such cord ditions as neither could agree to. We have now tt,ro posed a conference—(hear, hear)—to which Austria, and Prussia have agreed, as well as France, and we hav - j r eason to believe that it will also be agreed to by, jtussia. I am not sure about Denmark and Sweden, and in conse quence the proposal has not been concluded. OCCUPATION OF JUTLAND, In reply to Lord J. MANNERS, Lord PALMERSTON said what has be In heard about Jutland is that the troops had entered it, but on the repre sentation made at Berlin, it was stied that the occupation was not only against the wish but the actual instruction of the Government, and the commander in-chief would be reprimanded. At the same time, how ever, it was stated that the occupation of the place was a great strategic operation, and would be continued. (Laugh ter.) The Prussian and German Powers say they will ad here to the Treaty of 1852, and maintain the integrity of the Danish monarchy. With regard to the German Diet, they had been asked to send a representative to the confe rence, but I do not know what they will do. THE NAVY ESTIMATES. On the motion for going into committee of supply on the navy estimates, Mr. LINDSAY addressed the house at some length, and complained of the woad of economy in the construction vessels in the public dockyards. He cited the recommen dations of the lords commissioners on this subject, and con cluded by moving an amendment that the suggestions in their report should be adopted. Sir F. SMITH opposed the amendment. Lord C. PAGET defended the course which the Admi ralty had adopted in reference to the subject. Sir J. WALSH also brought under notice the inadequacy of our naval preparations to the present exigencies of political affairs ; and moved that, in the opinion of the house, the great changes in naval warfare, and the critical state of our foreign relations, required the most vigorous and immediate national efforts on a scale calculated to main tain the maritime supremacy of England. Col. DUNNE likewise called attention to the recent treaties for the cession of the lonian Islands to the kingdom of Greece, and the engagements made with Great Britain in respect to pensions granted to British subjects for services under the lonian Government. After a short debate, in which Sir F. Smith, Admiral Walcott, and Col. Sykes took part, explanations were made by Mr. C. Fortescue and Lord C. Paget, and ultimately the resolutions moved by Mr. Lindsay and Sir J. Walsh were withdrawn. POLAND. Mr. HENNESSY then rose to put a question to the noble lord at the head of the Government on a subject he had before brought under the notice of the house. It seemed that a despatch was sent to Prince Gortschakoff, containing something similar to the declaration made by the noble earl at the head of Foreign Affairs in his speech of Blairgowrie, and that that despatch had been subsequently officially transmitted to Prince Gortschakoff. The question he had to ask was, had that despatch been sent to any other Minis ters in Europe, especially had it been sent to Lord Bloom field, and then communicated in its complete form to Count Rechberg ? He wished to know whether, assuming that he was right in stating that the despatch had been so commu nicated to Count Rechberg, the house was entitled to receive it. It was very unusual for a Minister of State in sending a despatch to one Government to send a copy of it to other Governments. But Lord Russell in his Polish policy chose to take that course, and consentaneously sent to three other Governments the despatch which was placed in the hands of Prince Gortschakoff. The despatch coming to Count Rechberg, arrived by telegraph at St. Petersburg before the official despatch, and Herr von Bismark attached so much importance to it that he was inclined to think it would make a cams belli. He should like to know whether there had been any correspondence between the Prussian Govern ment and our Government, with respect to this altered de spatch, and, if so, whether Herr von Bismark's despatches would be given in full to the house. His question to the noble lord was, whether the despatch was to be found in its complete form in the portfolios of any of the Foreign Ministers; and, secondly, whether the Prussian Govern ment had entered into any correspondence on the subject with the English Government, and, if so, whether the noble lord would produce it. Lord PALMERSTON—I am afraid I can only repeat what I stated on a former occasion,namely,that her Majesty's Government are responsible to this house to give every infor mation as to any communications which may take place with foreign Governments with respect to our foreign policy, but it is not our duty to state to this house what change may have been made or intended to be made from time to time, before or after a despatch may have been communicated to any of our Ministers abroad. I believe that the despatch which was communicated officially to Prince Gortschakeff has been laid on the table. Mr. HENNESSY—As altered? Lord PALMERSTON—And that is the despatch by which we abide. NAVY ESTIMATES. The house then went into committee on the navy esti mates, Mr. Massey in the chair. Lord C. PAGET, in rising to move the navy estimates, ssid—l wish to express my regret that I had not an oppor tunity of answering the observations of the hon. baronet ; and it was only because I thought that his motion was post poned that I moved the Speaker to leave the chair ; and, without intending any disrespect to him with regard to the interesting remarks which were made by the lion, baronet, I can only say it is the great desire of her Majesty's Govern ment that the navy should be maintained in a manner worthy the dignity of the country; and I think it will be seen that exertions have been made from year to year to ace omplish this object. It was well said by a gallant officer on this side that we might go too fast; while the hon. baronet op posite said we went too slow; but I think I can show that we have preserved the mean between the two. Before I address myself to the estimates I will allude to some altera tions in the form of thorn, arising out of the recommenda tions of the committee on public accounts. At page 3 the net cost of the navy will be found, after deducting from the gross estimates the annual repayments. For the year 1862-3 these repayments amounted to £297,000 odd ; for the present year the amount is £273,000 ; and for next year, 1861-5, which is only a mere estimate, it is given as £263,000 odd. So that the public can now know the net cost of the navy; and that generally the net cost is about a quarter of a million less than that presented to Parliament. There is another alteration, and this is the farm of vote No. 2. That vote has been remodelled this year, also on the re commendation of the same committee. If hon. members will turn to page 105 in the appendix, they will find the vote in its old form, and will thus be able to compare item by item the vote of last year with the present. The alteration is in order that the estimates may be given in the same form as in the annual detailed account. I will now turn to the estimates themselves, For the year 1864-5 they amounted to £10,432,61.0; last year the amount was £10,736,032, being a reduction of £303,422 for the coming year, irrespective of other matters to which ,I shall have to advert. The way this reduction has been brought about is in the reduction of the personnel of the navy and in the materiel of the navy, qualified by a considerable increase for workmanship and wages in the dockyards, There is also a small increase in the vote for public works, and a considerable increase, I am sorry to say, in the army vote, owing to the unhappy state of affairs in New Zealand and China. I will first take the personnel, and group together votes No. 1, refers ing to pay, No. 2, re ferring to victuals, and No. 12, relating to medicines, &c. We propose this year a reduction of 500 seamen in the fleet. 1,500 coastguard men, and 2,000 boys—that is to say, we propose to 'Ake together 71,950 men and boys, against 76,000 in the present year. The marines remain at 18,000 men. There is a small reduction of 50 civilians connected with the coastguard—old men, who are being gradually superan nuated, making the total reduction 4,050 men and boys. I am quite aware that some hon. members are alarmed at these reductions, and I am not at all prepared to say, look ing at the state of affairs, that it would be at all advisable for this country to retrograde in her naval defences ; but so far from our naval forces retrograding, I think I can show they are making progress, notwithstanding these reductions. There has been no reduction, in point of fact, as in page 101 will be seen the number of men maintained during every month last year, and the reduction has been gradually going on for several months. I will read to the committee a state ment which will show that the fears of the hon. baronet op poslte are unfounded. On the let of February last year we had 11 line-of-battle ships in commission ; on the Ist of February this year we had 10 line-of-battle ships. Last year we had 4 armour-plated ships; on the let of February this year we had 7 armour-plated ships. Last year we had 41 frigates ; this year we have 42 frigates. Last year we had 93 sloops and gun- vessels : this year we have 99, Making a total of 153 sea-going ships this veer, against 151 last year —only a small increase In number, but a great increase in power by the armour-plated ships. We have, besides, that a vast number of steam whips, station ships, floating batteries, store ships, coastguard ships, troop ships, and gunboats, the whole fleet amounting to 243, against 236 last year. I think I may state that as a proof we have not re duced our fleet to the extent stupposed. Then how have we been able to reduce our men? One reason is, we employ armour-plated ships in lieu of line-of-battle ships. There is another reason, and it is very interesting because it shows what a great change is coming over the navy. In former days no captain of a ship was allowed, except under most urgent elecunaatances, to discharge an objectionable man. h was supposed that, if officers were allowed to discharge objectionable men, a premium was put on bad conduct, and that the ships would be unmanageable. It is very difficult to get rid of a bad man ; he must be floggud over and over again ; but the Admiralty has discovered it to be the best policy to allow the captain to get rid of objectionable men, and under that arrangement there has been going on a process of weeding the fleet, which has been of immense advantage to the navy. We were enabled to do this because the service is opulent ; and that will account for the decrease of 1,500 men, The committee will expect me to give some esplana• tion upon the reduction of the boys. (Hear, hear.) it is within the last three or four years I came down to ask for an increase of the number of boys, who are th e nursery o f the Royal navy ; y e t we propose this y ear to reduce the number by 2,000. On the one hand, the officers complain that these boys do not make good servants, and they have asked the Ad m i ra lt y to g i ve t h em proper servants, th e same as were retained by officers in the army. That was a griev. ante, and was one that was perfectly just. On the other hand, the second-cl ass b oys who come i n t o the navy dislik e , as a rule, to do the duty of servants ; they wished to learn their nautical duties, and find that waiting at a table is very irksome indeed. The Admiralty, by a regulation which has just come into operation, has determined to allow 700 or 800 servants to supply the place of 2,000 boys. This only ac counts for part of the reduction of the number of boys. We propese, instead of giving ships second-class boys, there shall be only one, and that a first-class, of boys on board a man-of war. We propose to keep up the training ships for second class boys, but, instead:of entering them at fifteen years and a half, they will pass through a course of nautical education in stead of being servants. We calculate that with 2,000 boys less we shall not altogether supply the vacancy that will fol low in the number of men who have risen from the ranks of the boys. We have found that the vast number of boys we have had in the navy has led to this—that the navy is almost shut out from the merchant service. This is not desirable. (Hear.) In our fleet we have 25,000 seamen ; and it is curious that when we eliminate artificers, stokers, and marines, it leaves only that number of actual blue jackets. The waste of these men is about 12 per cent. ; and out of 28,000 a vast proportion are continuous service men. We are going to take this year 7,000 boys instead of 9,000; and, from the statistics we have been able to gather up since we have had this establishment, we find that 7,000 boys will supply about 2,000 seamen annually. I have said the waste of sea men is 3,000. That leaves 1,000 to be supplied from other sources, and we think there should be an opening for at least that number eoming in from the merchant service. I am net at all prepared to say we shall not come and ask for more boys, but we believe 7,000 will keep up the navy to its present number—yet, if we require more boys, I am sure the house will grant our request. I will now state to the committee the reason why we reduced 1,500 coastguard men. We have paid off within the last two years 13,305 men. These men had, in the first place, six weeks' leave. They had then the choice of becoming continuous service men or of leaving the service. They might go for a year in the coastguard ships, or a year in the harbour ships, in order that they might have a year's relaxation after a long voyage. Now see what a curious creature a sailor is. Out of the 13,305 men we have paid off, only 1,078 have volun teered for harbour ships and about 1,000 for the coastguard ships, and the remainder took six weeks' leave and went to sea again. Therefore, so far as the wants of the country are concerned, the coastguard ships may be reduced to a certain extent, and that is the reason we have reduced the estimates that come under the same head as those 1,500 men. I should like to give the committee a proof of the changes that have taken place within the last few years with regard to the manning of ships ordered for service. In a remarkable, comprehensive, and admirable speech from my right hon. friend the member for Droitwich when First Lord of the Admiralty, in moving the naval estimates in the year 1859, he spoke of the difficulty they had in man ning their ships. The Renown took 172 days after she had been commissioned before she could get to sea, and the Marlborough 129 days; and it was generally six months before ships were fit for sea after they were commissioned. The right hon, baronet said these words—" Now I ask the house whether the ingenuity of man could devise anything more humiliating or more calculated to impress foreign na tions with the conviction of the decay of the naval power of England than the fact of our ships of war remaining in port four, five, or six months, altogether unable to obtain their complement of seamen ?" These * were the words of the right hon. baronet in 1859. Let me show you how things are in 1803. Last year, on April 14, we commis sioned the Ariadne, a heavy frigate, and she was ready on May 17, or little more than a month. On April 27 we commissioned the Royal Oak, a heavy amour-plated ship, and she was ready for sea on June 5. The Liverpool was ready in about a fortnight after being commissioned. The Conqueror, a 90-gun ship was ready for sea in just three weeks ; the Gibraltar, commissioned on the 12th of September, was at sea on the 28th of September ; the Aurora was commissioned on the 18th November, and was at sea on,the 11th December. On the 17th January in this year, we commissioned the Duncan, and she was ready on the 21st February ; the Hector, armour frigate, was ready in a month; and the Prince Consort, heavy armour ship, com missioned on the 14th of January, was ready on the sth Febrnary. So that scarcely a ship was more than a month and that detention was not for want of men, but to give the men an opportunity of getting their traps on board, and making themselves comfortable before going to sea. Admirable, however, as the organisation is now, I frankly own that, with the engineers, who have just been put on a better footing, we hope the new arrangements will produce a better class of men for that service. I admit the present is an exceptional time. There has been a great demand for men all over the country ; trade is flourishing, and every kind of skilled artisan is in demand, and fetches high wages. Therefore our complaint of want of artisans may be only temporary. The fact is we have no organisation, and we want a corps of artificers for the fleet similar to that which they have in the army. It is a quest•• Lion of pounds, shillings, and pence; but I am quite sure it is absolutely necessary that our fleet, particularly in these days of armour-plated ships, should be supplied with first rate artificers, of which, I am sorry to say, we have great lack at present.—[Sir J. PA.KINGTON—You mean sea-going artificers?]—Yes. We have in the ports and in ships fitting out 2,510. We consider that to be rather below our figure. The fact is a great many ships are on their way home, and we shall bring that number no doubt up to about 3,000, which is what we generally have ready to put on board ship. I must take great pride in stating that the conduct of our seamen is annually improving. A kind of education is now given, and that, with better pay, and more cora rt and convenience, has given them a higher social position. In 1858 one-fifth of the seamen wore good conduct badges; in the following year one-fourth ; and in every year there is a larger number wearing these badges. Oae half of our seamen make allotments to their families, and that is a test of their respectability. There is one point upon which I wish to address a few words to the committee with regard to the condition of the seamen. As regards mortality and general health, I do not think that there are any pub lic servants in the world can show better than the English navy. But there is a class of disease, especially about our home ports—(hear, hear)—which is so frightful, and the loss we sustain is so great—(hear, hear)—that I do hope the Government will be able to propose some measure on the subject, (Hear, hear.) We subscribe largely to female lock hospitals, and, when appealed to, we increase our subscriptions, The naval votes show this ; but, Sir, more is wanted. I honestly maintain, if you keep a mass of young men together in these ports, you are bound to protect them. I can say no more now. My hon, friend the member for Bedford undertook some time ago to pre• side over a committee, upon which several able gentlemen were appointed. They made a report, but that is a re port I dare not lay me the table of the house. If any hon. gentleman would like to see that report, I shall be glad to show it. I can say no more on that painful subject, but I thought it my duty to lay it before the committee. Referring then to the Royal Naval Reserve, the noble lord said that they were clearly to be taken into account as an important portion of the defences of the country, more particularly when we see that in a prospect of emer gency the men are ready to serve under the flag. 1 hold in my hand a report on the seamen of the Royal Naval Reserve, from Capt. Gardner, inspector of the Royal Naval Reserve, dated Feb. 13, who said—" I consider it right, in addition, to send in a report of the inspection of the Royal Naval Reserve on board her Majesty's ship President, and to call your attention to the following statement made to me by Commander Mold, which is of se satisfactory a nature with respect to the conduct of men who have been under drill since July, 1862, During that time 4,258 men have been drilled, out of that number only 53 have been punished by fines, principally for being absent from drill and for get • ting drunk, and only two for insubordination." I think that speaks for itself, as showing what an orderly and re spectable body of seamen have entered the reserve. The comptroller-general of the Coastguard, in his last minute to the Admiralty, states that he had inspected them himself, and that nothing could possibly be better than their gun drill. That shows what a valuable body of men the reserve is, and surely they must be taken into consideration when forming the estimates. With regard to the officers, I am glad to say that an order in council will, I trust, be issued in a few days containing duo regulations for officers of the Naval Reserve, giving them, under certain circumstances, when they become perfect in drill, a reduction in the num ber of days of drill. I believe that one of the few complaints made is against the constant return of drill. Passing now from the vote for the Admiralty, No. 3, I will address my self to the scientific vote, No. 5. The right hon. gentleman opposite will be glad to hear that the Government are going to carry out a system which I hope will provide an efficient school of naval architects. The difficulty we had was as to the whereabouts of this school. If it were put into a Government building, we thought it would look too much like a Government school, and that it would be consi dered by the public as too much under the power of the Admiralty. What we felt was, that, if we could ensure proper instruction for our own students, we should gladly see all the private trade, and the public generally, take up this school as a good national institution. The way we set about it was this: Lord Granville, who is at the head of the Science and Art Department at South Kensington, immediately took great interest in it, He desired Mr. Cole to communicate with the Admiralty, and immediately set at our disposal proper apartments, combining model and class rooms, and, in short, everything we desired to have. In consultation with Mr, Woolley, the Government inspec tor of schools, and Nix.. Cole, it was determined that there should be constructors and lecturers on chemistry and physical science and the properties of all the materials used in shipbuilding—such as wood, iron, copper; that during the winter months they should be located at South Ken sington, where they could undergo all this theoretical edu cation ; and that, during the summer, they should attend the dockyards under such instructors as might be deter mined upon, and that Government students should be upon the same terms and footing as pupils of private establish ments. All that we required was a guarantee that our own pupils shall be instructed in such matters as we thought judicious for her Majesty's service, and that private pupils should undergo such a course as the officers of Science and Art may determine. I propose now to pass over to the greatest votes of all. Votes 8,9, and 10 are our great shipbuilding votes. Perhaps I may say generally that in the - vote for the storekeeper's department there is a reduction of £169,951, which is due to our being now in a satisfactory position as regards all our principal naval stores. Then again in the second section, the comptroller's vote, there is a reduction of £195,137. That reduction is owing to the fact that we are making very great progress in the iron armour-plated ships which ws are building by contract, and also in our steam engines. There is a new item in the vote for which I must ask the sanction of the committee. We propose to build six gunboats on the twin screw principle. They are to be of 700 tons, and to carry two powerful guns. They will be armour-plated to the water-line, and have a limited space on the upper deck to carry these guns. e expect in this way a very handy class of vessels for rivers, at a light draught of water. For this purpose we shall ask for £64,000 this year, leaving the rest—the whole cost being £120,000. That Is the only new thing we pro pose to do by way of shipbuilding by contract during the coming year. Adverting now to the increase of £162,400 in vote 8, for workmanship, I wish to state why I ask you to agree to that vote. I may state here that the number of our armoured ships built and building are 25, exclusive of the gunboats to which I have adverted. Of these there are seven in commission, six that can be ready by the middle of this year, and six more that can be ready by the end of the year, the remaining six, which will be ready in the course of next year, making up the 25 armour ships. This time last year we had 21, showing that we have added to the navy four armour ships during the year. What a marvellous creation it is that, is the course of five years, we should have completed 21 of these armour ships. I will now deal with vote 8, which has reference to the workmanship in the dockyards, to show the grounds on which I ask this in c-ease. I will make a comparison between what we have done during the past year and what we propose to do in the next year. I will state a return of the rates and tonnage of armour ships which have been built between April 1 and Dec. 31, 1863. The armour ships equal 5,807 tons, the non-armour ships, 683 tons. Now, what we propose to do in the coming year is t 3 build of armour ships 13,604 tons, and of non armour ships 4,404 tons. We have in our dockyards seven armour ships under construction, and we propose to keep our dockyards very much more active in the way of construction than during the past year. With regard to non-armour ships, we are going to build a new class of vessels, capable of doing such ser vice to their owners as the Alabama. We are desirous of building such vessels of great speed for the purpose of cruising, to replace the smaller vessels. The next subject fur which we shall require an increased vote is for the re pairs and refitting of vessels. I wish to state that the con dition of our non-armour ships is not so satisfactory as I could wish. The activity in the production of armour plated ships has prevented us keeping up our repairs as they ought to be. In the next year we expect to commis sion sixty-four ships, which means that the sixty-four ships they will relieve must come into our hands for thorough re pair. Our ordinary reliefs amount to fitty-five ships, against the sixty-four this year. There is another increase arising from the demand for drill ships. I am glad of this demand, because it shows our reserves are in a healthy state, but it all represents a large amount of labour in the dockyards. There is another item of expense arising from our being in a state of transition with regard to steam engines and boilers, Every day there are new in ventions, such as super-heating, surface-condensation, diminished consumption of fuel, and a variety of matters which will tend ultimately to give greater speed to our ships with economy of fuel, but in the meantime we have to alter the engines at great expense, and these things are perpe tually getting out of order. This represents an annual proportionate increase in the vote. There has also been an increase of 20 per cent, in the outlay for the comfort and convenience of officers and seamen, for such items as ven tilation, cabins, furniture, and other charges, which repre sent a large increase it the work of the dockyards. Hon. gentlemen suppose that, because we have now armour plated ships, we need not keep such large fleets at sea. That does not enable us to reduce our squadrons a bit. This return shows that out of the foreign squadrons of 156 ships not less than 113 were detached single ships. Now, it would be impossible to have for such ser vice 119 armour-plated ships ; so that you must have a large number of small vessels. That is why you require to keep up your dockyards and your large stores of wood, copper, and other things. When gentlemen say, " Build iron ships; they will never get out of repair," I cannot resist giving you the case of an iron sh:p—not that I consider it conclu eive, but simply to show that there are great disadvantages to contend with in iron eh ps—the Megaera, one of our iron transports, which had only been seven months out of docks, and continually making voyages. They suddenly found that they could get no steam. They were rendered per fectly helpless. If a man of war hod been after her, she would have been taken to a certainty. It was found that this had been caused by her supply pipes getting choked up by shell-fish, so that they could get no steam. That is one of the illustrations of the difficulties of iron ships, I should like to ask the hon. member for Bireenheae (Mr. Laird) whether the " 290," which his son built, could have cruised as she has done, and captured the vast number of vessels she has, if she had been an iron ship. 'Why, she must have been in dock h-lf a dozen times. I wish to show the progress which this country has made in constructing armour-plated ships from the Warrior to the Bellerophon, which is now building. The Bellerophon is a most remark able vessel, and this is whet it is expected she will do : She is of 4,200 tons burden, against 6,000 tons of the Warrior, and she will carry plates 6 inches of iron in thickness along her entire length, and one inch and a half of steel ; and she will throw a broadside o: three-quarters of a ton of iron and steel. During the last foul or five years the Govern ment were forced to proceed, and they had no time to see whether one class of ships would answer better than ano- I ther. Within that period the exertions of the French dock y trds were enormous, and we were induced to order the construction of the Black Prince. But it occurred to us that such vessels had one great defect—they were vary well adapted to catch other ships, but they were useless in a ineleC, because they could not turn quickly enough. It was therefore determined to build the Resistance and the De fence, which were of about 4,000 tons burden. They were certainly smaller, cheaper, and handier than the Black Prince; but then, unfortunately, they had much less speed, Well, you cannot have everything. And now it occurred to us that all these vessels possessed one defect, and that was the very limited area for fighting, During all this time it should be borne in mind, we had only to contend against the 68-pounder and 110-pounder Armstrong gun, and all the world now knows that the pivot of the whole thing is the guns. At that time it was considered that a vessel would be impregnable for all practical purposes if she could withstand the 6S-pound and 110-pound Armstrong guns ; for though Mr. Whitworth had shown the marvellous penetrating power of his gun, yet we had no gun to equal the 68 •pounder and 110-pounder guns. Atter the Hector and the Valiant had been built, the Go vernment thought the time had come when we ought to have some check upon contractors, and that we ought to construct one of these armour plated ships in one of our own yards. Chatham dock was accordingly fixed upon, and I think all will concur that that was a very wise step on the part of the Government. The Achilles was accordingly laid down at Chatham. At this time it became necessary that we should ascertain what was the best quality of iron, and that we should have a series of experiments as regards that metal, and a committee was therefore appointed by the Ad miralty, and requested to inquire fully and report upon the matter. One of the first things which the committee proposed was that we should build with thicker plates and less backing, by which means we should get greater strength and other ad vantages. The Government having considered the whole question said it was necessary that we should have a perfect man-of-war, combining the highest possible speed with the greatest fighting power, and armour-plated throughout. Three ships were consequently ordered to be armed with 51-inch plates, as the committee had recommended. Now, it is perfectly true that the 52-inch plates did not succeed, but at that time our knowledge of the manufacture of plates was more limited than it is now. About the same time the house urged upon us that it was absolutely necessary that we should go on building ships. We then had five line-of battle ships in course of construction, and we considered they could be quickly completed, so it was resolved to build five more—the Royal Oak, the Prince Consort, the Cale donian, the Royal Albert, and the Asia. I do not believe any of our ships are impenetrable against the guns which have since been invented, but they were the best we could build at that time. One great defect of the armour plated ships was their enormous size, and to remedy this drawback Captain Coles undertook to construct a cupola ship of 2,500 tons, and war accordingly ordered by the Ad • miralty to construct such eessel. It was important to note this took place before we received intelligence of the con test between the Monitor and the Merrimac. The Royal willl h abvee blamed doubt m e d f for r that t during flnish. finish ing Sovereignthat ,y e w s s a e s l . cut down, h ir o aa : t e Yd ver, is not due to any fault of the this A discussion Admiralty, mrety the Admiralty That,dme tla circumstance that there have been great difficulties in vetting ready the plates and the component parts of the turrets. For it was Captain Coles's earnest desire to alter and improve his vessels as he went along. (Herr, hear.) I think it only fair that these facts should be stated, but I do not blame Capt, Coles. Oa the coatrary, I think we ought to get the very best article he cae produce. This year Mr. Reed came to the Admiralty and proposed to build a vessel much smaller, handier, cheaper, and safer, and completely armour plated. He said our first ooject should be to make the water line safe, even at the expense of some fighting qualities. (Hear, hear.) Accordingly he c nestructed two ships, and I can assure the committee we have every reason to be satis fied with them, I will now inform the house what the Go vernment has done since the discussions of last year. First we commenced two woode n ships, the Lord Clyde and the Lord Warden, which will have considerable speed and a heavy battery. They are iron plated throughout, and they have this advantage—they have not only 41 inch plates, but also an inch and a half inside the backing of the plates, thus giving them superior qualities for resisting shot and shell. Then there is a small line.of battle ship, the Zealous built from Mr. Reed's principle. There is also one which, if it succeeds, will ba one of the most remarkable ships in our navy : it is called the Pallas- The vessel is of a very remarkable form, adopted from the French. She will be the fastest ship in the navy, and she carries a very limited battery. Then there is the Bellero phon, which, while throwing the heaviest broadside of any r ship we shall have, will at the same time have speed nearly are eaY if not quite equal to the Pallas. Altogether, there twenty-five ships building. And now I m ast advert the question of guns, for that is the pivot on with the whole question tunas. Now, in dealin g guns. it is important that we should wh oll y separate ships dt c el i t to from forts, because in ships we are l i m ited to weights, both as to armour plating and guns. At the present time we have come to the conclusion that 61 tons is the utmost limit of each gun which a ship can carry in her broad side. A communication on the subject took place between Mr. Whitworth and the Duke Of Somerset, which resulted in the latter infotthing the late lamented Lord Her bert that he required a smooth-bored On, abetit 61 tons, to carry from 25 to 331bs. of powder and a 100 lb. projectile. A gun was accordingly prepared 61 to 61 toes in weight, carry ing a spherical projectile of 1001bs weight and 3016101 f,V,I" der. That gun was very successful, Several of those guns have been ordered, and we expect that they will all be re ceived by July next. But much about the same time the Admiralty thought that they ought also to have rifled guns, limited, however, to the same weight, and accordingly a gun called the "Lord Frederick" has been ordered, and is about to have a trial. In addition, such has been the success of the 300 pounder gun—which, in fact, is a 1501 b smooth bore gun—that we have placed four of theta on board the Mino taur ; ten on board the Bellerophon ; five on board the Royal Saxon ; and four on the Prince Albert. As to the Bellerophon target, it has been fired at by Mr. Whitworth with a 7-inch gun--at what distance lam not quite certain —but as yet the Bellerophon remains a virgin target. In our experiments we have consumed 117 targets and five or six target-ships ; that is a proof that such experiments can not be made except at a great cost; but it also proves how serious has been the attention which the Admiralty have devoted to the production of the best ships and, upon the whole, I may state we have been very successful. (Hear, hear.) I now pass to vote 11, which relates to docks and basins. The vote shows a considerable increase. We are building large works at Chatham, and we propose to make a great basin at Portsmouth, very similar to the one which has been enlarged at Chatham ; but this is so important a work that I shall think it right to move for a select com mittee to report upon the subject. At the same time, where the dockyards can be reduced, that it is to bo done. For example, it is no longer considered necessary to main tain a dock at Deal, and the same is to be said of the dock at Leith. And likewise it is proposed to do away with the dock at Deptford, when the works at Chatham are finished. I will not go Into any particulars with respect to the dock at Malta, as we are to have a special discussion on the matter, but when that discussion comes on I shall be perfectly ready to defend the course of the Government. The noble lord then explained that he did not state on a former evening, as he had been in one quarter reported to have done, that the Royal Oak and the Resistance had actually been docked at Malta. He of course knew quite well that those ships had been only just ordered out, and therefore that they could not want repairs. What he stated was that those ships could be docked at Malta. In conclusion, the noble lord stated that it was with great satisfaction he was able to announce that there would be an increase in the rate on account of the pay of officers, in consequence of a proposal to improve the pay of all ranks of officers in the navy, in cluding the petty officers. (Cheers ) On the first vote of £2,874,647, on account of 71,950 seamen and marines. Sir J. PAKINGTON expressed his astonishment that in the present state of affairs on the Continent and in Ame rica the Government should have thought it desirable to propose a reduction of 4,050 men and boys. Any diminu tion of force, whether in navy or army, was calculated to impress on the great Powers the belief, already too general, that the louder we talked the less disposed were we to act. There was obvious danger of this course producing a pain ful sentiment on both sides the Atlantic, and he could not refrain, therefore, from doubting whether the present was the moment which the Government ought to have chosen to propose any reduction of our naval and military resources. He concurred in the policy of maintaining the Naval Re serve, and of drawing on the mercantile marina when ne cessary ; but no mistake could be greater than that of re placing these boys, who were likely to become the most valuable seamen in the fleet, by any accidental addition that might be derived from the mercantile service. Nothing in the statement of the noble lord had gratified him more than the announcement that 2,510 men and boys were held in reserve in any ships that might require to be manned. He also expressed his unqualified satisfaction at the deci sion of the Admiralty to ask a vote of £2,000 for the esta blishment of a school of naval architecture, but charged the department of the Government with want of caution in having covered the Minotaur, and Agincourt, and the Northumberland—the most costly ships that has ever been added to the navy—with armour which had turned out defective and inferior. Sir M. PETO criticised the administration of naval affairs, and observed that the one great want in the depart ment was a master miad. Mr. LAIRD pointed out the necessity of providing ade quate dock and basin accommodation for large steam ships. both at home and in some of the colonies. Captain BERKELEY regarded the reduction in the number of men and boys as merely nominal, for the number to be borne on the books would b 3 as large as ever. Sir J. ELPHINSTONE disapproved of the contem plated reduction, and urged that temporary barracks should be erected at the various ports whilst permanent naval bar racks were being constructed. Captain TALBOT concurred with Mr. Laird in opinion that the importance of increasing the dock and basin ac commodation could not be over estimated. At present it was utterly insufficient to meet the demands that must arise in the event of a war. Mr. STANSFELD said the reason that a vote of only £27,000 was taken for the Chatham works was that no more than that sum could be usefully expended on the present works. He was quite aware that at the first blush it might seem extraordinary that one of the first results of recent dockyard investigation should tie an increase on dockyard expenditure. But at that late period of the evening it was impossible to enter upon the requisite explanations. Mr. LINDSAY said that under these circumstances he would move that the committee should report progress. He thought they should hear these explanations before the general discussion on the estimates was closed. Lord PALMERSTON trusted that the house would vote the number of men required for the navy. Any discussion on dockyard expenditure could be taken on subsequent votes. After a few words from Mr. LINDSAY and Sir J, HAY the committee divided, when there wero— For repo' ting progress Against .... Majority The result was received with some cheering on the Con servative benches. The chairman then , reported progress and the house resumed. Leave was given to Mr. BLAKE to bring in a bill to amend the law relating to grand juries in Ireland; also to Mr. ADDERLEY a bill to consolidate the Penal Servitude Acts for England and Scotland. Several returns were ordered, and the house adjourned at ten minutes past one o'clock. PARLIAMENTARY DIVISION. DEFEAT OF THE GOVERNMENT. HOUSE OF COMMONS, FEB. 25. NAVY ESTIMATES. In committee of supply, motion made and question pro posed, " That 71,950 men and boys be employed for the sea and coastguard services for the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1865, including 18,000 royal marines." Whereupon motion made and question put, " That the Chairman do report progress, and ask leave to sit again." The committee divided—Ayes, 31; Noes, 28. AYES —3l. Adderley, C. B. Gore, J. R. 0. Naas, Lord Bar ttelot, Col. Grogan, Sir E. Peto, Sir M. Berkeley*, C. Hamilton, I. T. Smith, Augustus Blake, J. A. Hennessy, J. P. Somes, Joseph Bridges, Sir B. Heygate, W. U. Talbot, Hon. W. C. Cargill, W. Laird, J. Verner, E. W. Dalglish, Robert Lawson, W. Yorke, J. R. Dickson, Col. Leader, N. Dunne, Col. Lewis, Harvey TELLERS. Elphinstone, Sir J. Longfleld, Robert Fermoy, Lord Macdonogh, F. ' Lindsay, W. S. George, John Maxwell, Col. Hay, Sir J. NOES —2B. Berkeley, H. Headlam, Thos. E. Ponsonby, A. Bruce, H. A. Heathcote, Sir W. Russell, Sir Wm. Cardwell, Rt. fin. E. Herbert, H. A. Stansfeld, J. Colthurst, Sir G. Kingscote, Col. Villiers, Rt. Hon. C. Dodson, John G. Lygon, Hon. F. Walpole, S. ii. Daft', it. Martin, J. White, L. Evans, T. W. O'Conor Don, The Gavin, Major O'Hagan, T. TELLERS. Gladstone, W. E. Paget, Lord C. E. Grey, Sir G. Palmerston, Visct. Brand, H. B. Hartington,Marqu:s Peel, F. Dunbar, Sir Wm. ERRATUM.—In the division on Tuesday, on the steam rams at Birkenhead, the name of Lord A. Hervey should have appeared among the Noes, instead of that of Mr. 8.. B. Harvey, the latter hon. member having voted with the Ayes. [ADVERTISEMENT.]—Consumption, all nervous, bilious, liver, and stomach complaints, in every stage, are only ag gravate i and accelerated by drugs of every description, but perfectly curable by Du Barry's health restoring Revalenta Arabica Food, as proved by thousands of cases which had been considered hopeless. We quote a few.--Cure No. 62,914. Miss Lange, 18 years of age, cured after the medical men had abandoned all hopes of her recovery from the last stage of pulmonary consumption, with f -arful cough, expectoration, exhaustion. spitting of blood, perspirations, hollow cheeks, emaciated to a skeleton. She is now, thank God, a perfectly healthy, blooming, fleshy girl.—N. Lange, Commissaire de Police. Cure, No. 46,270. Mr. James Roberts, of Frimley , Surrey, of thirty years' diseased lungs, spitting of blood, liver derangement , and partial deafness.—Cure, No. 47,121. Miss Elizabeth Jacobs, of extreme nervousness, indigestion, gatherings, low spirits, and nervous fancies.—Cure, No. 54,816. the Rev. Ja mes T. Campbell, Fakenham, Norfolk, of indigestion and torpidity of the liver, which had resisted all medical reatment. In tins, 11b, 2s 9d; 21b, 4s 6d; Mb, 118; 121 b, 225; 241 b, 40s. Barry du Barry and Ca., No. 77, ttegent-street, London ; also Fortnum and Mason; and all grocers and chemists in every town of the United Kingdom. [ADYEATISENIENT.] — HoIIo way' Ointment—Painless Cures.—Sores, wounds, ulcerations, and other diseases affecting the skin are amendable by this cooling and heal ing unguent. It has called forth the loudest praises from persons who had suffered for years from bad legs, abscesses and chronic ulcers, after every hope of cure had long passed away. None but those who have expe r i ence d th e soothing effect of this ointment can form an idea of the comfort it bestows, by restraining inflammation and allaying pain. Whenever this ointment has been used it has established its own worth, and has again been eagerly sought for as the easiest and safest remedy for all ulcerous l compla "ats. In neuralgia, rheumatism, and gout th e same application pro.. perly used gives wonderful relief. THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 26, 1864. ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE, OXFORD CIRCUI .—READING, Feb. 25. CIVIL SIDE. (Before Mr. Justice Keating and a Common Jury.) KELBY V. LAWRENCE AND ANOTHER. This was an action to recover damages from the de fendants for illegal imprisonment by them, through their atom . , of the plaintiff, on a ca. sa. issued against one Ignatius W. Italy. • • - j . O. Griffiths and Mr. Harrington were for the plain tiff; bir. Gray, Q.C., for the defandants. The plaintiff Was name; Michael Kelly, and . in the em t, carrying on busi ploy of a Mr. Hall, a commission agt:.: ad ness at Printinghouse •yard, Loudon] and ti;.: defendants were the late sheriffs of London. An action of dem: bad been brought in Ireland,and judgment obtained there against Ignatius W. Kelly. On this judgment an action was brought here, and a writ of summons issued. and was served on the plaintiff in this action, under the impression that he was Ignatius W. Kelly. The plaintiff told the process server who served the writ that ho was not Ignatius Kelly, and he went to the officer of the attorneys who issued the writ, but did not see any of them, or afterwards write to them, and, in fact, took no further notice of the summons. Judgment was subsequently signed in that action, and ca. sa, issued agaiast Ignatius W. Kelly, of Printing-house yard, commission agent. On the 23d of May last the sheriffs' officer went to the place of business of Mr. Hall and took the plaintiff into custody as Ignatius W. Kelly, and took him to Whitecross-street. The plaintiff protested that he was not Ignatius W. Kelly, and when the officer said that he (the plaintiff) had come from Richmond, denied it ; and Mr. Hall, who was present, also told the officer that the plaintiff was wrongly arrested. On the 26th of May the parties appeared before Mr. Baron Martin at chambers, on a summons which the plaintiff's attorney had taken out, to show cause why the plaintiff should not be discharged. The summons was adjourned to give time for a person to co.ae from Ireland to identify the plaintiff, and on the 29th of May the plaintiff was discharged. An action was then brought by the plaintiff for the above illegal im prisonment, and damages were claimed for his detention in prison for six days, and the cost of the attorney who was employed to get his discharge, and for the loss of his situation with Mr. Hall, who, it seems, though he be lieved it was an illegal arrest, discharged him on the 25th of May and refused to take him back again. The plaintiff considered his situation at Mr. Hall's worth about £lOO a year in all, and since his discharge had only been occasion ally employed by that person, and not made more than £lO by him. Mr. Hall stated that he knew the arrest to be a mistake, but that he found after the plaintiff had been taken away that he could get on well enough without him, and that partly for the latter reason he would not take him back, The case came down for trial here at the last assizes before Mr. Baron Martin, but that learned Judge ruled in effect that as the plaintiff had been served with the writ of sum mons as Ignatius W. Kelly, and had not appeared to that writ, or procured it to be set aside, a plea of the defendants justifying the taking of the plaintiff under a valid ca. ea. on ajudgment in that action had been proved, and a ver dict was found for the defendants. A bill of exceptions to this ruling was tendered by the plaintiff, and the Court in Error thought the ruling incorrect and a venire de novo was awarded. Mr. Gray, for the defendants, now urged in mitigation of damages that the sheriffs' officer was not to blame, because the writ bore the direction it did ; that the plaintiff ought to have set aside the writ of summons; and that the die. missal of the plaintiff was not a bona-fide dismissal in con sequence of the arrest, but introduced in this case to swell the damages. The learned Judge summed up, and said that there was no obligation on the plaintiff to set the sheriffs' officer right so long as he did nothing o mislead him ; the sheriffs' officer must take care and serve the proper person ; nor could the onus be thrown upon him of setting aside the summons in consequence of the officer's mistake. The jury found a verdict for the plaintiff—Damages, £2O. CROWN COURT. (Before Mr. Baron Pigo't.) , Robert Smith was indicted for feloniously and maliciously setting fire to a rick of barley, the property of John Porter, at Sheen, on the 28th of January, 1864. Mr. Lawrence was for the prosecution ; the prisoner was not defended. At about dusk on January 28 Mr. Cherry, a magistrate of this county, was riding along the road from Newbury to Hungerford. By the side of the road, separated from it by a bank, stood a nine-acres barley rick of Mr. Porter, and when about 300 yards from it, Mr. Cherry saw a light in the centre of the rick, about the size of his two hands, and breast-high distance from the ground. When he got close to the front of the rick ho saw the prisoner and spoke to him. The prisoner appeared to be passing the rick, and it was impossible to have seen him before if he had been going along the road. Mr. Cherry insisted upon his going with him to a publichouse near there to get assistance. Two boys had seen a man earlier in the day lying under the rick, but could not tell whether the prisoner was the man. Another witness saw a man lying there, and described hint as a spare man, dressed in a dark jacket like the prisoner's. The pri • soner's jacket was taken from him at the publichouse some time afterwards, and barley heads found upon it. No one else had been seen near the spot A policeman found a lucifer-match box on the mad on the Newbury side of the rick, and prisoner stated to a policeman on the road to gaol that if Mr. Cherry had not come up and obliged him to throw away his box of matches he had intended to set fire to three other ricks. He conducted himselt at the trial with great levity, but denied that he set the rick on fire. After the learned Byron had summed up, the jury found the prisoner guilty, and his lordship sentenced him to four years' penal servitude. SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. POST.—The Dano-German war will still con tinue, and a Conference of the principal European Powers may possibly take place. Such is the sub stance of the reply given in the House of Commons last evening by Lord Palmerston to a question put by Mr. Darby Griffith. For such an announcement we prepared the public, and those who choose may , welcome it as a confirmation of those prognostica tions of peace in which some have seen fit already to indulge. The Government of this country have, as the Premier observed, been unremitting in their endeavours to effect a pacific solution of those dif ferences which now array Germany and Denmark in arms against each other. Until hostilities had actually commenced they ceaselessly strove to pre serve peace by counselling mutual concessions, and, after blood had been shed, they importuned the belligerents to consent to an armistice. But the success which they deserved was denied them, and each succeeding day saw the breach between Ger many and Denmark still further widened and the peace of Europe will be more seriously jeopardised, In this extremity one hope was still left to the English Government. If the belligerents would not consent to an armistice as preliminary to a Con ference, possibly they would have no objection to a Conference as an accompaniment to a campaign. If you are obstinately bent on fighting, gratify your inclination, but meanwhile nominate a few disengaged diplomatists who will quietly discuss your differences round a table in our Foreign-office. Such was the latest proposal of the English Cabi net, and the chief of that Cabinet last evening ad mitted his inability to state its probable result. Austria and Prussia have signified their assent, pro vided they are to be permitted to pursue unchecked their career of invasion, and the latter Power is said to annex other conditions to her compliance. On such terms we should have been indeed sur prised if the astute statesmen who direct affairs at Vienna and Berlin had refused to send their repre sentatives to a conference of diplomatists. " France," said Lord Palmerston, " I believe, will assent to our proposal, and Russia, I fancy, will adopt the same course. This language is sanguine, but it can scarcely be regarded as reassuring. .In speaking, however, of the Dan;sh and Swedish Cabinets, the Premier frankly acknowledged his ignorance of the course they would follow, and did not venture a conjecture as to their possible accept ance of the English proposal. Such, then, is the stage of the Dano-German dispute at which, after ceaseless negotiation, we have at length arrived. The war is to be pursued with no less rancour than before, and the contest is to be prolonged, though the attacking and the resisting forces stand to each other in the ratio of five to one. Whilst, however, thousands of human lives are being uselessly sacri ficed, a Conference may possibly take place, and if it does an agreement may just as possibly be arrived at which may satisfy the belligerents and bring hostilities to a close. In other words, war is a cer tainty. and peace a remote contingency. HERALD.—There is nothing so inconvenient as law. It interferes with oppression, it checks vio lence, it prevents evil doing, it even sometimes mars rquity and justice. But for all this it is the safe guard of the people. Th e E ng li sh are a law-reve• rencing nation, and to maintain this character they often choose to put up with injury and obstruction. But they know that there is no medium between the absolute will of a tyrant and the recognition of enactments which shall bind every one. It is not enough to say that such and such a deed, if it be executed, would be unjust or disagreeable, or a loss or a calamity, unless at the same time it present the necessary conditions which are admitted to violate law. Mere suspicion will not suffice. This is the ready instrument of tyranny, unsuited to a free people. It is as well that these plain principles of legal right should be understood and asserted, even in our very liberal age; for it is evident that a set attempt has been made against the very palladium of English liberty. We are told in unmistakeable terms, and by strong facts, that it is justifiable to seize property, if suspected of being converted to a use calculated toexoite war against us. And when the Government, who have actually possessed themselves of the goods, are asked to produce the papers which may warrant their suspicions and justify their act, they turn round on the House of Commons and de clare that, pending litigation, the people's repreaen tatives have no right to any such information. other words, that the grossest wrong might be.per petrated, that ships worth a quarter of a ranter sterling could be detained on suspicion , a nd aft° r wards seized, at a loss of some £2,00 0 a month 05 more to the owners, and that no legal proceeding ought to be commenced to legalise this absolu te act till nearly six months after the first detention, enct. full four months after the capture of the propertyd, and that all this is to take plaee on English gr enn ; and . against Englishmen of positicn and charact e l ; with perfect impunity to the perpetrator s, . a." ° f i ! on the fiction called Ministerial responsibi;:tY; ;• to that the House of Commons is not eoropett' n ' 0 . inquire into the grounds of so monstrous ceeding. We regret that this assembly, even P b he very narrow majority of 25, should have backede the Gov:mount in a course so clearly uncoustliry tienai. Ti to 'uestion to be considered viras. ye w . properly narrowed Sir Hugh Ceirns, in the minous series of incontrove:tible ergo menis, he Go ., one great point at issue—the conduct o f ri t . miss on verument anterior to the seizure of the E: o as and El Monassir. Surely, theHortae Co'* ids will entirely denude itself of its functions if it its prerogative and right to demand from Goren'et ment the ful.est attainable information on te n 6 a decidedly illegal and avowedly perp etra ted 0 .. British soil against a British subject.. The (Pe e d tion, of course, does not refer to the Messr s. balr alone, but to every shipbuilder in the kingdo,te: The Government have proclaimed their rig ht toper d tain vessels on suspicion. They fling law on es! board. Their mouthpiece, the Atzorn er a resV a tt _ declares . that they have done so on their o‘N'n sibility, and, of course, are willing to abide th e sequences—that is, that they have a right to g assls every shipyard in the country and keep back vb e on the . mere suspicion that they are built, to equipped and armed afterwards at some 1/ , place, for the Confederate American service. the determination of this matter, so far as the Tousson . and Ei Monassir are concerned, is a yen ? nice question of fact as well as of law ; D0: 6 , e %; over, is still under judicial investigation—and Into our absotute Government have presumed to dem.: .both . law and fact on their own individual renn° l l, l ; Imlay. They not only detained the vessels with e ' n a shadow of legal right or authority, but they ° e1 ... - them, and may actually withhold the trial for „- twelvemonth from the time of seizure. That o the l nave gone into a law court at the expiration of n. l t e our months or six from the date of the detainer t more the result of their dread of Parliament OP. through any regard for English right or lib erty they do not pay the costs; the public pays thein and the injured owners have to sustain the b ards for the time, depending on a favourable judgme e But then there is, by way of set-off, the gra ti n atonement of ministerial responsibility. Wha t tl. g comes to let the vota of Tuesday night explao• "d ° long as we have laws they ought to be respee.t e and observed. Above all, let us guard aga le °,. allewing the Govornment to wrest them to thel! own crooked views and purposes. Let us not re vive again the odious practice of general warrants, fe, to this we are approaching. If our laws are foul:till to beinadequate on calm consideration they sbn.tl'u be amended, but not at the dictation of any O° re l Government. COUNTRY MARKETS. - MANCHESTER—THURSDAY. .A fair attendance at market, and English wheat tamed the lurrency of this day week, with a moderate c'urie, sumptive demand. Foreign wheat was neglected, suc i tfi d i changed in price. Indian corn steady. Flour we t . .ted a dull sale at former rates. Oats and oatmeal were in request, and in the former the turn was in favour of to buyers. English beans declined 6d per qr. BURTON. ON-TR; ' There was a moderate atte] fair show of grain, but very lit Old white wheat..44s to 47s I New do. ..44s to 46s I Malting barley....34s to 38s I Grinding d0.....28s to 31s I ENT—THURSDAY. )ndance of the trade, with ° ittle business. I Old red wheat, ...4 0 s to I New do. ..393 to 4„ 0 7 . I Oats ....... 2'2s to 2 r I Beans .......... 3 6 s to 40D BIRMINGHAM—THURSDAY supply . tvilestrt This morning there was a large pply of Englism. - and the prices of this day s&nnight receded 6d to Is . P e qr. Barley still cheaper. Oats and beans at late Pr° 3 6 ' 6 6. s —English wheat was sold at 40s to 46s for white, an d a to to 40s per 36 stone for red. Barley, new malting , 'moo 40s per qr ; grinding, 24s to 28s Oats, old, 22e nr. per 30 stone ; Irish, 18 0 to 245. Beans, 38s to 42 s P er Peas, 36s to 42s per 36 stone. BRISTOL—THURSDAY. There was a fair show of wheat to-day, and sales We re slow at about previo us quo t a ti ons . In other articles tile was no matffial change. EDINBURGH GRAIN—FEB. 24. To. day there was a gocd supply of wheat, whichLetr! slow sale, at is per quarter under last week's prices. . 0 r ley met a ready sale tor fine malting qualities, at fo r e . prices; seconds rather cheaper. Oats sold slowly, best scriptions as before, but other sorts were 6d to Is per q uarts lower. Beans a slow sale. Wheat on the top Os 6d up... ..average Is 33 down, Barley on the top Os 6d up..... average Os 9 ,1 " W Oats on the top 6d up.... .... aver age Ao vr. Beans on the top 4s Od up average Os va Avei age Prices. 21a Ud Wheat. Barley .. 2 37 ss s 6 3d d I B o e a a ts n . s . ................. Total Supply and Sales. Wheat ..1569 qrs Sold 982 Vs 8ar1ey........1470 qrs Sold 99 6 q" Oats Beans 407 qrs Flour sells as follows :—Whites, 41s Sold Od; ex 2 t 7 r 7 a5 q , 7394 (XI superfine, 37s Od ; fine, 35a Od. Foreign Mail Packet List. MAILS DUE. wr , 2 0 - ,iustralia and Mauritius, via Southampton. ...... ..,'" -8 ,... 0 , via Marseilles ......... lua'' 6, Brazil and Cape Verde, by British packet. ....... Mar '. Cape of Good Hope, Ascension, and St. Fea r ,Helena.•... 3. 1 China, Penang, and Singapore, via Southaropton.oot27, via Marseilles ...Fe'' Falkland Islands - ............ ....., b 2 6, Gibraltar, via Southampton .................. r„,, e ; 3. India (Calcutta), and Ceylon, via Southampton..ZT27. via Marseilles..• • 1. e b ; 26. India (Bombay), via Southampton ............ Fe 7. via Marseillen ................ Mar._. 6, Portugal .... ...... Malta, Egypt, and Adon, via Southampton ...... Feb, Fe b. 21. via Marseilles ..... far. 2 ' .. .3 • Newfoundland .................Feb........ • Oporto and Vigo U. S. and British N. Ameri ca , by B r it. packet. • • • •`. by U.S. pac ket..• • Feb. - 2 6 ‘ by Canadian packet• mer . ill. W.C. of Africa, Madeira, and Teneritle .......... 1 1 ' Bahamas, via New York • ... mar. „,_ . Fe b. A , • Mexico ..• • 2 9. All parts of West Indies, including Chili, Peru , j Feb' California. and British Columbia. ........... THE GREAT CLOCK.—" It is a trimuph of ingr . ...l l o " tl . Daily Telegraph, March 31, 1862. Clocks by the ol° tool of the day for the drawing room, dining room' elit ra library, hall, staircase, bracket, carriage, church , t urr ,i;doa l. C w h a u y r s c , h warehouse, counting house, musical, and astro;000 and turret clucks specially estimated fon 1 1100 ) * illustrated pamphlet on clocks (free by post for tw n 'in or with descriptions and prices, enables those who llve I ' l6 part of the world to select a clock. Also a shc 4.- 0 o sseP on cathedral and public clocks, free for one Or r J. I "; medal and honourable mention in classes 33 an d i ted Benson, 33 and 34, Ludgate-hill, London. E , t Ablis t(). Watch and clock maker by special warrant of APO intill H.R.H. the Prince of Wales. °^6 Persons who have been in the habit of paying ;:d e st °Tic° borrowers of Sewing Machines will do well t o °P" seeling Machined members of Messrs. Watts and : „ - , L ve Clubs. By so doing they 00 tito e , money they now foolishly throw away, but a t tbe ont secure to themselves the possession of one Of tilev:erY most celebrated sewing machines in the wo rld. wit h formation rmation given on application; or by letter addreeee h ;ufor a stamped envelope, to Messrs. Watts and C o., 12, 13e.re ea' buildings, Strand, London, W.C., where members rolled daily between 10 and 4 ; Saturdays, 10 and 2' Births. ni f t ier DORMER.—On the 24th inst., at Craigdarrochp VII — shire, the Hon. Mrs. James Dormer, of a son. 03 0 HAMILTON. — On the 25th inst ., at 48, Euston-squqter. wite of the Rev. James Hamilton, D.D., of a daug , 00 ... HARTLEY.—On the 23d inst., at 58, Addison -roa d, 'lf A sington, the wife of John E. Bartley, Esq., C•' , son. w ife 0 W 00OREAD.—On the 2 4 th inst ., at Brighton, the - Captain Woodhead, of a daughter. Marriages. HAIGH—SMITH.-0 11 the 24th inst , stiffest Dahl. 'roll; Haigh, Eaq., Southampton, to Anne Darnell, the Loa• daughter ion of Josiah Smith, Esq., Hatton-gareTh pa RoWLETT--DICKINSON.-011 the 23d inst., at St. B J : ia ll n 's- R po o n w d ie ß tt owland Richard, eldest survivia daughter of the ;:of Au Deaths. Deaths. the BANK la E tz sq T .,. Fla.teDioefkilinroluts to Louisa Emily' ns,—On the 22d inst., suddenly, at Corfe Castle, Lady Charlotte Bankes. BARTLETT.—On the 22i inst., at Abingdon, g r. ciwill Bartlett, aged 30. y so n , t o EDEN.—On the 23 d inst., at Ca ntleFrancis, id° of the Hon. G. W. Eden. d Yo r Gliaas.—On the 24th inst , at Edinburgh, in tile " vered of his age, the Right Rev. Gillis, D• of thc?roetiod. I C t alhVie Bishop of Edinburgh and the East of Pe *l' nblo MANGY..—On the 21st inst. at at Paris, Edward O. PA IL-- Eq., C.E., aged 45. . the he Or ° MA-Y.—At Weston-suPer-Mare, Edmund MO , 0 of May and Co., brewers, Wade, aged 67. 1 IV' SUTTON.—On the 20th inst., at Dover, Gener a Af a jor- Sutton, C. 8., aged . s6. Charles Wake, Ws.x.E.—On the 23d inst., at Brighton, Sir Ch ilf --••••-** Bart., aged 72. London • of No. 112, virmaxo. Prinwd and /co 12, in tSbteranrdr,eePinriontteort, at fla o Strand, Wldlesex Fr -daY, February 26, 1664. i